1. Technical Field
The present subject matter relates to computer networking systems. If further relates to configuring a relationship between a network client and a server.
2. Description of Related Art
In a computer network, it is common for client devices and/or applications to communicate with server devices/applications over the computer network. In order for the client to communicate with the server, the client needs information on the server so that the network message can be properly addressed to the server.
Many networks use a protocol for addressing packets on a network called Internet Protocol (IP). Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4), which is often used, assigns a 32 bit number to each device. This number, which is commonly referred to as an “IP Address,” is often written in a form of 4 separate decimal numbers ranging from 0-255 separated by periods (e.g. 192.168.0.255). Network interfaces, routers and other networking infrastructure, can then use the IP Address to ensure that a network message is delivered to the proper recipient even if that device is not on the same physical network as the sender. IP Addresses may be manually assigned to each device, automatically assigned by Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DCHP) servers, or assigned using a variety of other methods. Additional granularity of addressing within a particular device may be provided by having port addresses within each IP Address.
In some cases, such as on the World Wide Web, servers are more commonly known by names, such as domain names like www.uspto.gov, instead of their underlying true IP Address. The Domain Name System (DNS) provides a system for converting a server name to an IP Address by sending a request to the IP Address of a known DNS database server which then looks up the IP Address for the domain name and sends a response back the original requestor with the server's IP Address.